West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-04-07


the miled an even in low water went
down 10y thar. on its way 70 the river
three miled below, like peeled hemlock
log dowh roll way, an thar She were.
arter all them rains. dry an empty from
bank To bank. Pcleg. were skcert, and
| tuck 10 tremblin' wuss thin hungry
dog at daylight on "a frosty morn
in. | thort the world were comm
To- AN end right thar an then. Pooty
soon | got Stiddy enough TO look up the
creek, an then were Skcert wu>S'n ever.
Ter bout a quarter OF milcd away. in
that direction, thar were the creek agoin
up stream ez fast cz il could tear! Coin
right up that big grade o. twenty foot TO
the miled, Pclcg, like e train a. kcerS
W cn see that jist Topped right dow
an waited fer the earthquakes an Gabriel
20 come followin' along, acrackn' an
atootiu'. | laid thar aw lie but they
didn't neither on EN- come. an the creek
KEEP aclimbu up to'ard, its hcadwatcrS,
~ it'd ben Scot fer 10 come back hum
an hadn't no time to spare gittin' thar
IL were movin' back ard, in a flood morc'n
thirty foot high el nigh ez could jedge
from seem the gable end OF il, and pooty
soon | noticed that tn were a heap o.
Commotion on the edge of it.
Wall, SAYS / 10 myself. gittin' up
ontcr my feet 'th' can't be nothin' to
hurt fellcr in flood th't's doin its
best 10 run away from him like
that, says /, AN so | guess I'll
quit waitin' fer Gabriel an the 'arth-
quakcs, says l, an II jist start artcr that
creek an see watts ailin' on il to
make It 60 an cut up that way, SAYS /.
80 away dug cz tight eN my legs'd
carry me- but the creek had got such
start o me that it tuck me IA good half
hour fore kctchcd up with it, An ez
soon ez did kctch up with il, my son, |
see To wunst wat were ailin' on it, Gc
must know, 10 git the hang o. this, Pclcg.
th't suckers starts fer the creeks on the
fust high water th't comes in the spring.
an tht they gether together 10y the boat
load at the mouths OF creeks waitin' fer
the flood th't tells 'cm things is ready fer
en- up tho creek, an then up they 90
lhat had been AN Onusu'l good season for
suckers 10 winter over in, an they had
waNed an crowd fat, an gcthcrcd in
such uncommon big crowds, th't wen
they started in at the mouth % SloplicN
Creek that ninth day o. April, they Jest
damned the hull course o. the stream, am
Ter time II had been nip an tuck cz 10
lch 81 hcf 10 stop. the creek or the
suckers. But in them days suckers had
vim an push in 'cm These fellcrs AT the
mouth o. Sloplick had started 10 git up
that creek. an 'twa'n't their fault. b'go-h.
II 1t couldn't furnish water enough. with
all the rain '; 81 had fer a week past. fer
en- TO wigglc up on 50 they list put their
shoulder, TO the wheel. an at II they
went, an showed the uushin' food cf oil
Slopliek right back with 'cm, pilin' it up
m wall thirty foot high, an kccpin' her
movin back 50 fast steep - the grade
were, th't she couldn't git no footholt,
an had 20 20. So, Of course. ev'rvthing
were left high an dry ahind that pushin'
army o suckers, an natur' in them parts
were Iookin' queer.
'Pclcg, when / kctchcd up to that re.
trcaun' creek, nOthin' could be seen on
face o. that high wall but snouts. an
tails, an fins, an backs, an bellies o.
suckers. They was piled on ono another
from the bed o the creek 10 the ton o.
the flood, pushin' an shown and crowd
in 90 keep tho ball rollin, ] see wat
the hull business meant 10 wunst, an ]
pitched right iu 90 do some % the tallcst
sucker lishin' th't were ever hccrcd ON
along SlOplCk Greek. ] chuckcd away
my pole and duv inter that bank o.
suckers am list went 10 minin' fish by the
ton. They kcp' me on dead run 10 keep
zap with 'cin, they was h'istin' that stream
up hill so fast, but / grabbed an clawcd
right an left, an throw'd suckers ont ON
The bank by the wagon load. ] strung
suckers along the banks fcr milcd. an
still thc food went rollin up hill n easy
cZ pickin up sticks The hcadwatcr~ o.
Nlppllck Greek was in swamp almost on
the top % Booby Ridge ~ / were run
min long ahind that sucker bank all of
-nddcnt it struck me that If nothin' hap
prucd To- stop 'cm. them suckcrsd shove
the creek clean through the swamp. tic
way they was 0Oiu'. and push her ON over
The ridge and then she'd go tchoot down
toth9 side, and an wipe Slaycrop's
clearing often the face o. creation quick
cr.n lightuin could melt tub of butter.
] were bound 10 see the fun. an if suck
rr want the timidost an >kccric.t crit.
tcrs th't swim. that fun d % come Co.
pass.
"lt had happened. sonny tht only
the other day uforc this high oil sucker
hIIiu % mine. had considered lta lcc.
tlc piece o. duty ] owed to thc commu
nifty to pitch inter Shaduck Iambcrrv.
ol Poke Jambcuy's hov. au um him
thc propcro,f kind. Con-ckcutl, hc had
a 2rudgc 1giu nae. llc lived close To- thc
creek nearly two milcd above oar place.
80 thc Fiddler Elbow Bend. This bend
was go sharp th ~ mc au thc sucker. au
tbc crock were comm io'1rds the bend /
s.r ~hadpck ~9ndin ou thr bunk un
hr ece me- Th ptut uuthn selfish
about me- ~o ! hoIlcrrd to Snuduck. TO
hou hiw tht diut hct uo hard feel
ius. to come back ana fOllcr DO, circus.
400 Jay in stock o. suckcrs aQiu coon
famine. But Shadrack wau.t OF % meek
au iorgiyn's natur like mc. an so. in
stid o takiu thc olive branch T offered
hc gwbe up couple o biz stus ln
cnuck- rm Doe th' water ahead o'ur u
thc suckers That -kccIt tine timid f.l
th't Was boo thc lead. 500 thcr got de-
morlIlcd an turned tUl The panic
spread to the bun raboodlc o. suckers
an OBJ" fu-t thing know'd were h'i.tod
up ln the air /if id ben blowcd up bro a
blast an wb.o-O-o, away T were Qou
back down stream like haistom in
huuFnuc % wind Thar ! were Pr.cg
ridiu high an dry ou big raft o. suck
cr-. am "a g6in -ump.n' like milcd
minute bouu fer eomewhar. bust wbar
didn know Icorter bc very thankful
sonny. th't vera litin NOW. ar' rof 60,